Combination binder and easel



pril 7, 19 9 s. L. GOLDMAN 2,881,008

COMBINATION BINDER AND EASEL Filed Aug. 15, 1957 INVENTOR. Sanford L. Goldman ATTORNEY United States Patent This invention relates to a light-weight, portable combination display binder and easel whereby sheets of advertising display, photographs or other graphic material may be conveniently carried by hand in the manner of a book or brief case, from one place to another and then set up on a counter or desk as a self-supporting easel for successively displaying the sheets. Such display binders f' may be used by salesmen, lecturers, and others for illustrating their wares and talks.

An object of the invention is to provide, as a single article of sale, a display binder which can support itself firmly at any one of several selectable angles to facilitate reading of the display sheets or pages.

Another object is to provide a loose leaf type of binder with a foldable base section, having a brace or supporting member movable over a range of angles for supporting the display portion at any one of several inclinations.

Another object is to provide a light-weight foldable and portable loose leaf binder with a base section hinged thereto by an adhesively secured strip of fabric, and with a brace pivotally secured at one end to the spine or back of the display portion of the binder, the other end of the brace resting against any one of several selectable stops on the base.

A detailed description of the invention follows, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the combination binder and easel of the invention, supported in one open position at an angle to the base, as seen from the front;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the combination binder and ease] of the invention supported in one open position at an angle to the base, as seen from the rear;

Fig. 3 shows the combination binder and easel of the invention in the open position with the base section adjacent the loose-leaf binder portion;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the combined binder and easel of the invention in its closed or book-like form;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section through the combined binder and easel of the invention along the line 55 of Fig. 2, showing the device of the invention when it is in an open and/or easel-like supporting position, and illustrating the manner in which the brace is hinged at one end to the spine or back of the loose-leaf binder portion and rests at its other end against one of several selectable stops fastened to the base section;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the free end of the supporting brace as it rests against a stop, and is taken along line 6--6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 illustrates a modification of the supporting brace and stop arrangement therefor, for enabling the display binder to be supported at any one of several selectable angles.

Throughout the several figures of the drawing, the same reference numerals designate the same parts, while those numerals with prime designations refer to equivalent parts.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the combined binder and easel of the invention consists of a base section 10 adhesively secured in hinged fashion at 12 by a fabric strip to a loose-leaf binder portion 14. The base section 10 comprises a pair of stiff panels 16, 16 of the same size joined together at their adjacent edges by a spine 18. The loose leaf binder portion 14 also comprises a pair of stiff panels 20, 20 of the same size joined together at their adjacent edges by a spine 22. The width of spine 22 is narrower than that of spine 18. The panels 16 and 20 are of substantially the same size and rectangular shape and are made of heavy multi-ply paper or cardboard covered by a thin, light-weight fabric adhesively secured thereto. The spines 18 and 22 may also be made of cardboard and joined to their respective panels by overlying layers of a strong, thin fabric adhesively secured thereto. The two coextensive panels 20, 20 are hinged at the spine 22 which divides the loose-leaf binder portion into two parts which can swing toward each other to enable closing the device of the invention in the form of a book, as shown in Fig. 4. Similarly the two coextensive panels 16, 16 of the base section are hinged at the spine 18 which divides the base into two parts which can swing toward each other to enable closing the device of the invention in the form of a book as shown in Fig. 4. Both pairs of panels 16 and 20 must swing together either to close or open the device of the invention, because they are hingedly joined together along line 12.

A loose-leaf ring binding assembly includes a base element 24 made of metal or other suitable rigid material and a plurality of spaced metal rings 26 mounted thereon. The metal element 24 of the ring binding assembly is securely fastened along its length to the spine 22 which separates the pair of panels 20. For purposes of illustration only, there are shown a pair of sheets or pages of advertising matter, photographs or lecture notes, designated 28. It should be noted that the spines 18 and 22 form grooves, so to state, in the open positions of the device of the invention, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and do not lie in the same planes with their respectively joined panels 16 and 20. These grooves extend in opposite directions as illustrated clearly in Fig. 3.

The loose-leaf binder portion comprising panels 20 and spine 22 is supported at any one of several selectable angles by means of a relatively rigid brace 30 comprising a metallic ribbon, such as steel, pivoted at one end 32 to a metallic channel strip 34 secured to and extending over at least a portion of grooved spine 22. The metallic channel strip 34 does not extend outside the grooved spine 22 and may be secured by rivets to the metallic element 24 of the ring binding assembly. The end of supporting brace remote from pivoted end 32 is adapted to rest against one of the stops 36 of a metallic strip 38. Strip 38 is secured by rivets 40 to the spine 18 and extends over a portion of the length thereof. The stops 36 comprise small pieces of metal which are stamped out of the strip 38 so as to protrude slightly above the strip. Also secured to the strip 38 by means of the same rivets 40 but spaced above the metallic strip 38 is a very thin and flexible metallic strip or ribbon 42. The end portion of brace 30 is provided with a slot through which the flexible ribbon 42 passes. The dotted lines in Fig. 5 indicate the position which the flexible ribbon 42 takes when the brace is lifted by the fingers to move the brace to rest against another stop, thereby changing the angle of the loose-leaf binder portion 14 with respect to the base section 10. An advantage of the support arrangement of Figs. 2 and 5 is that a simple manipulation of the finger will raise the brace free from any of the stops.

Fig. 7 shows a modification of the brace support assembly for the device of the invention. The brace 30 of Fig. 7 differs from the brace 30 of Figs. 2, 5 and 6 solely in the lower portion. The lower end of brace 30 is reduced in size to a narrow finger-like protuberance 43 which rests in any one of several holes or slots 44 in a metallic channel strip 46 secured by rivets 48 to the spine 18. The dotted line portion of Fig. 7 shows the brace when removed from a hole 44.

The lengths of braces 30 and 30 are chosen so that they do not extend beyond the open edges of the spine 18 when the device is in the position of Fig. 3.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the combination loose-leaf binder and easel of the invention can be folded and closed to take on the book-like appearance of Fig. 4, or opened first to the position shown in Fig. 3, and then set up in open position for use as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, on a table or counter. When the device of the invention is in the open position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the angle of inclination of the loose-leaf binder portion 14 with respect to the base section can be varied to facilitate reading merely by lifting the brace 30 and causing the lower end of the brace to rest against any desired stop as shown in Fig. 5 or in any hole as shown in the modification of Fig. 7.

What is claimed is:

1. A foldable combination binder and easel, comprising a display portion and a base section of substantially the same size as said display portion, hingedly joined together, said display portion having a pair of coextensive panels joined together by a spine, said base section having a pair of coextensive panels joined together by a spine, said spines being positioned along the same plane passing through the longitudinal axes thereof, the panels of each pair being foldable over their respective spines,

the spines forming grooves which extend in opposite directions and do not lie in the same planes with their respectively joined panels, the groove of said display portion being narrower than the groove of said base section, and means physically positioned between said display portion and said base section for supporting said display portion at any one of several selectable angles with respect to said base section, said means comprising channel strips mounted on and engaging solely those surfaces which face each other within the grooves, and a rigid one-piece brace pivotally mounted only at one end on that channel strip which is mounted on the spine for the display portion, the other channel strip having stops spaced along at least a portion of the length thereof for engaging the other end of said brace.

2. A foldable combination binder and easel, as defined in claim 1, wherein said stops comprise metal protuberances stamped partially out of said last strip and extending above the surface of said last strip.

3. A foldable combination binder and easel, as defined in claim 1, wherein said stops comprise holes stamped out of said last strip, said brace having a portion of reduced size at the end remote from the pivoted end for insertion into said holes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,564,594 Leh Dec. 8, 1925 1,957,039 Buenger et a1. May 1, 1934 2,595,064 Erickson Apr. 29, 1952 

